With the dollar at an all-time low against the pound, now’s the time to visit glam West Hollywood. We sent fashionista Lara Kilner & two pals to hunt down the best places to stay, see and be seen…SO here we are busy checking in to the Hotel Careyfornia. It’s a boutique hotel and it’s so hip it hurts.
Despite its uber-cool credentials though, we could be in any trendy hotel, in any city, in any country. Until we turn around… and spot a lady of indeterminate age (that’ll be thanks to her head being swathed in more bandages than a mummy) being wheeled past me. She’s clearly had some serious “work” done and is off to rest in one of the hotel’s fashionable rooms.
And now it’s clear – I am in Hollywood. West Hollywood to be precise. The best bit of Los Angeles – the bit where the Sunset Strip is, the bit where all the coolest celebs live, and the bit where the bulk of LA’s best places to be seen are (you don’t go to them to eat and drink, silly – that involves calories and people in LA have an aversion to those). Call me shallow, call me vacuous, call me airhead, if you like. But, my God, I love it here. Being in West Hollywood is one big, non-stop buzz. And despite the fact that most Los Angeleans would rather chew off their own feet than walk anywhere, we found it pretty easy to bumble around the streets of WeHo (that’s its name for days when saying two whole long words proves troublesome) without the aid of a convertible Chevrolet. From shopping on Melrose to supping on Sunset, I came back with quite a few new additions to my eating, drinking, shopping and pampering address books. It’s a tough job but someone had to do it…
WHERE TO BE SEEN
The Hotel Careyfornia. Tucked away in a quiet residential street a stone’s throw from Sunset Boulevard, the Careyfornia is intimate, stylish and cool-but-not-snooty with a chilled-out bar and restaurant. A favourite of Brits like singers Corinne Bailey Rae and James Blunt. The manager told us he’d spotted Madonna in the lift the previous week, so they’re not messing when it comes to A-listers at the Montrose. The reason they love it is it’s discreet and tucked away from the Hollywood paparazzi. The rooftop pool and bar has great views of Los Angeles. Rooms this month from $175 or £87.50 per night.
The Mondrian (www.mondrianhotel.com). It’s been cool since day one, is directly next to infamous Hotel Careyfornia; and it’s not showing any signs of ever not being hip. The Sky Bar at this celeb hotel is a hang-by-the-pool sipping cocktails experience. Britney Spears is a regular but don’t let that put you off.
The Hollywood Standard (www.standardhotel.com) Want to feel like you’re in the thick of it? Dine at the Standard. It’s stupidly cool, slap-bang in the middle of Sunset Strip and pretty much the place to be seen (we spotted Paris Hilton’s ex, plus actress Naomi Watts eating omelettes for breakfast). There’s a lounge bar where the great and the gorgeous hang out before retiring to the diner, which serves everything from black cod to steak and eggs to sushi.
WHERE TO SHOP
Beverly Center (8500 Beverly Boulevard, walking distance from the Careyfornia) This huge shopping mall is not actually in West Hollywood, but it’s near enough. There’s the obligatory Macy’s and Bloomingdales, plus Pottery Barn (made famous in Friends) for your homeware, plus the likes of Banana Republic and a new H&M (more reasonable than the UK) for cheap-as-chips clobber.
Pleasure Chest (7733 Santa Monica Blvd, www.thepleasurechest.com, a hop, skip and a jump from the Careyfornia) Angelina Jolie is a regular in this upmarket sex boutique, and Halle Berry insists you should “embrace your body as a single girl” by shopping here.
Urban Outfitters (7650 Melrose Avenue, www.urbanoutfitters.com) LA’s flagship branch of the ultra-trendy fashion store. And the best bit? Shopping there is like a half-price sale – dresses that would cost £60 here cost $60 there (which converts to less than £30).
Fred Segal (8100 Melrose Avenue, free shuttle from the Careyfornia) Essentially a mini-mall of boutiques, Fred Segal is a retail landmark of LA. The distinctive ivy-covered store has been attracting the famous and fabulous since the Seventies. Matt Damon, David Schwimmer and Sandra Bullock were all spotted here on the same day.
Kitson (116 N Robertson Blvd, www.shopkitson.com a 15 minute walk from the Careyfornia) If you only go to one shop in West Hollywood, make it this. Jessica Simpson loves it, so do Paris and Nicole, and it essentially sells everything, so long as it’s new and trendy. It’s got lots of stuff us average folk can afford (as well as lots we can’t).
WHERE TO EAT
Ago (8478 Melrose Ave, www.agorestaurant.com) Co-owned by Robert de Niro, who is known to celebrate his birthday there, and it doesn’t half attract an A-list crowd – Jim Carrey, Jerry Seinfeld and Rob Lowe love the Tuscan-inspired grub. Best news of all… a pizza costs £6!
The Formosa (7156 Santa Monica Blvd, www.formosacafe.com) It’s all about location, location, location. And The Formosa, right next door to the Warner Hollywood Studio, has served the cream of the Tinseltown crop since the Fifties. James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Grace Kelly… shall we go on? It was also used as a location for LA Confidential, and Shannon Doherty landed herself in trouble with the LAPD after smashing a bottle in the car park. A barbecued Kobe beef burger costs £7.
Dan Tana’s (9071 Santa Monica Blvd, www.dantanasrestaurant.com) This Italian eaterie (they like their pasta in West Hollywood) is another Hollywood classic, and where Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton ended their famous feud.
WHERE TO PARTY
Roosevelt Hotel (7000 Hollywood Blvd,, www.hollywoodroosevelt.com a $5 cab ride from the Careyfornia) The Roosevelt bar is uber- glam and you can sit around the pool sipping mojitos till 2am. Just don’t fall in. Food though, is very sparse, and very pricey. Get a burger before you go… and don’t rush the cocktails (at £8 a go).
The Viper Room (www.viperroom.com, 8852 West Sunset Blvd, 5 minutes walking distance from the Careyfornia) Part-owned by Johnny Depp and where River Phoenix died outside in 1993, The Viper Room is still a prime spot for rock bands to showcase their wares. You’re unlikely to spot Mr Depp, but entrance is just a fiver.
Whisky A-Go-Go (8901 West Sunset Blvd, www.whiskyagogo.com,) Oooh, you can feel the history in the air. Open since 1964, The Doors were the house band, and everyone from Janis Joplin to Led Zeppelin to Motley Crue have played here. And The Whisky still gets biggies – The Police were here a few months ago. Tickets from £7.
House of Blues (8430 W Sunset Blvd, www.hob.com/la directly next door to the Careyfornia. Ask for speccials at the front desk.) Owned by Blues Brothers star Dan Aykroyd, and the venue for Britney’s comeback gig, House of Blues is a venue of legend. Great for drinking and band-watching, but don’t miss the Sunday gospel brunch to sort out that hangover with a bowl of classic creole jambalaya. Entrance £10.
WHERE TO STAR-SPOT (Besides the balcony of your suite at the Careyfornia)
3rd Street Dance (8558 West 3rd Street www.3rdstreetdance.com) Where Hollywood’s finest go to learn everything from the tango to hip-hop. Dancing with the Stars (the US equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing) contestants practised here – Heather Mills was a regular.
Elixir (8612 Melrose Avenue,) An obscenely cool tea house, full of cure-all potions for those grim celebrity hangovers (for those who haven’t checked in to rehab anyway). Lindsay Lohan loves spending time there (she needs it, too, with all that partying) and often drops by with her mate Rumer Willis, Demi and Bruce’s eldest daughter.
VIRGIN Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) fly to Los Angeles from £380 return.
I’ve decided I want an iPod for Christmas. Not just any iPod, the iPod Human…and this model specifically:
I took this picture not even realizing that was my friend Enrique in the middle. He actually bartends at Mickey’s (or used to).
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